


I Wish You Would

by IdrisSmith



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Background - Finnpoe, Background - Stormpilot - Freeform, Background Relationships, Ben is Dumb, Except for the Person Who Sent the Prompt, F/M, Harassment, Hux is a Dramatic Shit, Or Ben Needs to Understand What Flirting Looks Like, Rey Needs to Learn How to Flirt, Reylo - Freeform, Say 'Thank You' Hux, So dumb, TW: Harassment, TW: Unwanted Advances, TWO IDIOTS, We forgive him, but he soft, but we love him, coffee shop AU, no one asked for this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-12
Updated: 2020-05-12
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:14:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24154129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdrisSmith/pseuds/IdrisSmith
Summary: Rey is tired of getting hit on by random creeps so she starts wearing a wedding ring. When Ben meets her, there’s all kinds of sexual tension, but he won’t make a move. Rey gets frustrated because she feels like he wants to and can’t figure out why he won’t.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 18
Kudos: 267
Collections: Reylo Prompt Fills (@reylo_prompts)





	I Wish You Would

**Author's Note:**

> I would like to say this again: My BETA is amazing, please say hi to her @ [metallia2797](https://archiveofourown.org/users/metallia2797) coz she's amazing. Seriously, I thought my words made sense and I wrote down what I meant, but really, I needed her help. Thank you again!
> 
> Based on [this](https://twitter.com/reylo_prompts/status/1230267318032191488?s=20) prompt.
> 
> Also, yes, I sat on this for months. This is why my WIP folder is a secret. There's so many AUs in there.

It was another day, another day of her dealing with unsolicited compliments—if she could even call them _that_ . Often, she wanted nothing more than to punch the lights out of the men who made them. Alas, she couldn’t. Not unless she wanted to lose her job and she couldn’t afford to go without it. Maz’s Coffee was one of the few places that paid decent wages close to campus but catered to more than just the average, caffeine-addicted student body. Honestly, she could _almost_ forgive the college-aged boys hitting on her, chalking it up to youthful idiocy, but when it was men twice her age? She was losing faith in men's ability to grow up.

And that was a shame, because she was a hundred percent certain she was tragically straight.

“Did he stop by again this morning?” Rose, her roommate asked. She was sprawled on the well-worn couch they’d managed to get off Craigslist

Rey nodded, knowing Rose was talking about the worst offender of all, a fully grown adult man who still acted like an entitled trust fund brat. He stopped by every morning she was working, without fail, for his pretentious cup of iced coffee. "I really, really wanted to deck him.

“I wish you could do that too,” Rose said sympathetically. “But then you’d have to deal with the consequences.”

“He’s not even the only one.” Rey sighed, remembering the barrage of creeps who came into the coffee shop or even the ones she managed to run into when she was out and about. It was as if she had an inbuilt magnet drawing them to her. “Just the creepiest one.”

Rose cocked her head, nibbling on a slice of their shared pizza. Rey had already finished her half and, even though Rose had paid, they both knew it was only a matter of time before she offered Rey her leftover slices. It was a little dance of politeness they always did to protect Rey's fierce sense of self-sufficiency. "Did you talk to Maz?"

“I haven’t. I didn’t think I should.”

“Rey.” Rose sighed visibly. “You know you have to let her know. This guy had been harassing you for months.”

Seven months—it wasn’t as if Rey was keeping score, it was just hard to forget, since he would show up whenever she was in for the morning shift. She did talk to the rest of the staff about it, but it appeared that they weren’t the target of constant harassment from the man like she was.

Still, she didn’t want to bother Maz. The old woman was hardly ever in early in the morning, trusting the manager, Kaydel, to deal with opening the store. While she _had_ talked to Kaydel about it, asking the smaller woman to deal with the problem seemed a bit much. She wasn’t sure if there was anything Kaydel could do either, other than warn the man. The last thing she wanted was the situation to escalate and cause trouble for the store.

“I wish there was another solution,” Rey said, leaning into the couch. “Though the bright side is spring break is in a couple of days and I won’t see him for a week.”

Rose squealed at this. “I know! It’s exciting. I can’t believe you agreed to come to California with me.”

“It’s not like I had much of a choice when your parents _paid_ for my tickets and insisted I come,” Rey said, chuckling. “I need to thank them for that. Again.”

“Please, they love the idea of me bringing my friends along.” Rey smiled as Rose spoke. It was nice to hear her speak about her family and to have them embrace her into their fold. Mr and Mrs Tico weren’t exactly rich, but Rose assured her that they could afford _some_ things—things such as her meals for the week and the flight ticket they got on a deal. “Too bad Finn can’t come with us this time.”

“Let him enjoy a holiday with his boyfriend. It’s their first trip together.”

“I know. The lengths Poe had to go through to convince him to go on one.” Rose shook her head, clearly in disbelief. “He was almost begging Finn to let him spoil him.”

Rey scrunched her nose. It was one of those things Rose and Poe would never understand—growing up without much and having to do without a lot. The idea of taking the week off and not working was terrifying for both her and Finn. They both grew up between group homes and foster families, and had enough stories between them to share.

It wasn’t easy for either of them to go on a trip, even if they planned it months in advance. They both tended to worry incessantly when it came to where they’d get their money for food and next month rent. Rent which, more often than not, their friends - or in Finn’s case,his boyfriend - covered when they couldn’t. Neither she nor Finn had wanted to accept that help at first, resisting it at every turn until they’d eventually realised it was the only way.

“I—” She wished she could explain, but the moment she opened her mouth, Rose’s phone chimed.

“Hold that thought,” Rose said, reaching for her phone before squealing again, this time louder. Rey shook her head, waiting patiently for Rose’s excitement to taper a little. “Paige will be there with Jan as well.”

“They are?” Rey asked, intrigued. “I thought you said that they were busy with the baby and wouldn’t be able to come down.”

Rose was beaming. “They decided to brave the long flight after all, since Mom and Dad haven’t seen Ren in months.”

It was hard for Rey not to be as excited. The idea of seeing Paige and Jannah again sent her into a good mood, so much so that she almost forgot the kind of day she’d had so far. The last time she’d seen Paige was back when the woman had been four months pregnant and in New York for a business trip. Paige had spent the weekend with them and it had been the most fun Rey had had in her life, even though there was less alcohol involved than some of the other times they’d met. Paige had exuded life and laughter and optimism; it had been contagious.

“That’s amazing,” she said, giddy at the thought of finally meeting Ren.

“I know,” Rose replied, excitedly turning her phone to Rey. “And look: his new picture. Isn’t he adorable?”

Rey smiled, resisting the urge to reach for the phone and have a closer look at the picture. Paige looked happy holding her son close to her, the engagement and wedding ring adorning her finger glinting, probably catching the glare from the phone’s flash.

Immediately, an idea hit her. 

If polite rejections weren’t doing anything to resolve her ‘situation’ at work, she was going to take matters into her own hands - _literally._ What said ‘not interested’ like a ring, after all?. It was extreme, and she knew there would still be a few people that wouldn’t get the hint, but there was a good chance that anyone with _some_ level of decency would back off when they saw it. 

The only problem was, she had to endure another day of morning shift before they left, before she could execute her plan.

\-----

“You’re not being serious?” Rose asked again for the umpteenth time as they took two of the few available seats left on the plane. Fortunately for them, they were together. “I thought you were joking when you bought that cheap ring from the pawn shop.”

“Do I look like I’m joking?” Rey replied, holding her hand up where the said ring now adorned her fourth finger. “Maybe this will deter _some_ of them. Besides, now is the perfect time. It’s less suspicious to come back engaged after a week’s vacation, than to just suddenly have a ring one day, when I’ve never mentioned a boyfriend before. I can just say it’s a long distance thing or something.”

Rose shook her head. “This is all levels of extreme. You could’ve asked Poe’s help to ward off unwanted attention if it was that bad. I’m sure he’d be happy to do that.”

“He’s busy, and whatever time he has on the ground he spends with Finn. I don’t want to bother him with this.” Rey shrugged. Besides, the last thing she wanted to do was involve Finn or Poe in the whole thing; she knew Finn wasn’t above camping out at the store to make sure she was safe. As much as she appreciated it, she didn’t want her friends to have to act like her babysitters.

“Rey,” Rose said softly, almost a sigh of defeat. “This is not the smartest solution you’ve found and I know you’re plenty smart.”

“Well, we only have this semester left and then we’ll be off.” It was true, yet Rey wasn’t so sure she would find a job as easily as she hoped. Leaving Maz’s to make use of her degree after graduation was still a long way off. So, she needed that shield until then.

“I swear, this will come back and bite you in the ass,” Rose stated defeatedly. She shook her head, clearly already too exhausted to reason with Rey any longer. “I’m looking forward to the day when I can say I told you so.”

Rey rolled her eyes affectionately. “You love me, really.”

“You know I do,” Rose retorted not unkindly, reaching for her eye mask. “But I’ll still have my victory dance when shit hits the fan because you won’t listen to me.”

“And I shall accept my defeat graciously,” Rey quipped, mirroring Rose’s action. They would need all the sleep they could get on the flight if they wanted to feel at all human when they landed.

\-----

“Welcome to Maz’s. May I take your order?” Rey said in her best customer service voice. It was her first day back and she was working at the counter and so far she thought she’d received less unwanted advances than she normally would have. It appeared that the ring was the kind of deterrent she’d been hoping it would be. A few of the regulars arched an eyebrow at her but none made any comment.

“Uh—” The tall man in front of her was squinting at the board. She’d never seen him in the store. She’d remember if she had. He looked as though he’d been sculpted from marble by the finest Greek sculptor. “—what do you call a large black coffee here?”

She quirked an eyebrow, remembering how to blink. “A large black coffee.”

He exhaled, looking relieved. “Thank God, I’ll have one of those.”

“You’ve been to Java Souls, haven’t you?” she said, smiling as she punched in his order. She caught him shrugging out of the corner of her eye. It wasn’t the first time a customer had come in looking all sorts of relieved when they didn’t have to remember some made-up name for their morning coffee. “That’ll be two dollars.”

Without much fanfare, he handed her what he owed. 

“Your name?” Rey asked, trying to sound as casual as she could, marker and a disposable cup at the ready. The man was _something_. He looked composed but there was a sense of nervous energy about him, almost as if he wasn’t happy being in the shop.

“Ben,” he replied, running his finger around the collar of his shirt.

_No. Not the shop that bothered him, it was something else,_ she decided.

She smiled up at him, almost wishing their interaction could last a little longer. Though, unlike most, he didn’t linger. He was quick to step aside to make way for the person next in line, and she watched as he moved towards the end of the long counter space where he could pick up his order. Luckily for her though, her co-worker, Jessika, appeared more than happy to take her sweet time pouring a simple black coffee, leaving Rey a good extra minute of watching him standing awkwardly out of the corner of her eyes.

\-----

It became a routine. He would walk into the store at half-past nine with that schooled expression on his face, always immaculately dressed, leaving Rey to wonder what he did for a living. As much as she hated to admit it, she looked forward to seeing him whenever she had the morning shift. He was the highlight of her morning, even though he didn’t speak more than necessary when she asked him inane questions as she took his order.

Tempting as it was, she kept the questions boring and polite - acceptable customer service questions.

“How’s your morning?” she asked once. He looked almost confused that someone would take an interest in him. It was adorable seeing him blink a couple of times before grunting his reply. He didn’t stay for a chat or ask her anything, always keeping a line, unlike many in the past who had mistaken her polite customer service smile as an invitation for them to chat her up. She wanted him to say more to her, maybe even ask about her day, but he never did. 

She thought she’d made it as obvious as she could that she was interested, short of writing her phone number on the sleeve of his coffee cup. As the days turned into weeks, Rey began to get slightly desperate. No matter how brightly she smiled or how long she let her eyes linger on his, despite telling him her name and asking him to call her by it, the most she ever received in return was his quick, respectful reply to her questions.

She refused to go that far. What if he just wasn’t interested in her?

It was infuriating.

\-----

Rey slumped into the couch, sighing. “It’s just my luck, the first guy I’m interested in for a long time doesn’t even look at me.”

“Maybe he’s gay?” Finn offered when he’d finished chewing his food.

Tuesday was Chinese night and since Poe was around, he was buying. There was no winning an argument with the man and Rey was too exhausted to fight him over food. If Poe wanted to buy her food, she’d let him. Frankly, she didn’t want to listen to another of his, _‘Jesus, use your money for something else’_ admonitions.

“He could be gay,” Poe agreed.

“Or socially inept,” Rose offered, reaching for a dumpling. “Some people can be too awkward to function.”

“Or he could be gay,” Poe offered again.

Rey snorted. “Well, it would be just my luck.”

It would. The universe was _that_ cruel to her, she wouldn’t put it past it to dangle what she wanted, but couldn’t have, right in front of her eyes without mercy. Even if he wasn’t gay, he could still have a girlfriend or a fiancee, and while she had checked his hand to see if there was a ring on his finger—there wasn’t one, he might just be the kind of married man who didn’t like jewellery. Whatever it was, Rey was getting the message loud and clear; he was _not_ interested.

Unfortunately for her, there was someone who still was very interested. Someone who clearly hadn’t got the message and was still annoying her with his flirtations every time she worked the morning shift. In fact, his compliments were bordering more and more on leery comments with each passing day from the moment he’d spotted her ring. Nothing seemed to get through to the man and Rey found herself contemplating ways she could get away with punching the moron whenever she had time to daydream. The borderline sexual comments were making her sick. He was smart too, always keeping his comments too low for anyone but her to catch. An insufferable fucker, that’s what he was.

Of course, everyone—especially Rose—pointed out that maybe _Ben_ , unlike the creep, was the kind of decent guy that wouldn't hit on someone who was clearly not available. Still, Rey felt sure she'd made her interest obvious enough to warrant at least a conversation. The fact that he still wasn't biting had to be proof that he didn't feel the same, didn't it? How could she take the risk and tell him that the ring was a fake when he'd never even _smiled_ at her?

\-----

Ben didn’t come in on Wednesday morning like he usually would, sending Rey into a sour mood. It prompted Kaydel to take over the register from her, asking her to assist Jessika instead. The two women had never questioned the ring on her finger or discussed it with her, perhaps recognising it as a prop when she hadn’t returned from her vacation gushing about her new fiancé, and Rey was eternally grateful to them for it.

To make matters worse, the creep was back. Rey ground her teeth when he grabbed her hand as she placed his order on the table. Thankfully, an older, no-nonsense woman with platinum hair, next in line, gave the man a hard stare, prompting him to snatch his hand back from hers. The woman didn’t even say a word, she simply stood there with a fixed, _‘I dare you’_ stare that left Rey in awe. 

_Phasma_ , she read on the coffee cups when the woman’s orders were up; one large, black coffee, a caramel macchiato and a cinnamon latte.

It was strange, but the order made her miss the enigmatic Ben.

\-----

“I think we should talk to Maz,” Kaydel said the moment the store was a little quieter. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise when Kaydel called her into the small office at the back. “We can’t do much more to stop the lewd comments, but he’s grabbing your hand now. This isn’t something we can just sit by and ignore.”

Rey sighed. “I don’t think there’s much she could do that we haven’t already tried.”

“I know.” Kaydel nodded, looking defeated herself. “But we have to do something. Maybe I can call up my friend at the precinct to drop by.”

“No.” Rey shook her head. “It’s—I don’t want it to cause damage to the store.”

“Damage?” There was confusion in Kaydel’s tone. “What do you mean by damage? You can’t possibly think this is your fault, do you?”

Rey didn’t answer. The thing was, in some ways she _did_ feel like it was her fault. While she knew it wasn’t, she couldn’t help the nagging feeling that she’d done something wrong; it was deeply ingrained in her that everything was her fault. Yet, that wasn’t something she could tell Kaydel. Not even her closest friends understood the damage the foster care system could have on someone like her—not even Finn. Some things—some of it would take a lifetime for her to work on.

“Look—” Kaydel sounded understanding, noting how Rey froze up. “It’s up to you but I can’t have a staff member getting harassed at work and not do something about it. We’re not a chain coffee shop, our values are different.”

It was hard to not smile. “I know,” Rey said, sighing. “I just thought with the ring—” She trailed off, and Kaydel snorted.

“I figured,” Kaydel said understandingly. “I just don’t think this guy will take ‘no’ for an answer, even if that ‘no’ is in the form of a wedding ring—not even a real one would stop someone like him.”

“What are you going to do now?” Rey had to ask.

Kaydel sighed. “I can report it to Maz and have her show up earlier, or ask my friend to drop by when she can. I wish I could ban him though.”

“I wish you could too,” Rey said in a whisper, followed by a louder question: “Can I think about it?”

“Of course.” Kaydel nodded. “Let me know when you decide.”

\-----

It was as if the universe had answered her prayers because Ben showed up the next week. It was later than his normal hour though, and Rey’s happiness was squashed quickly when she saw the woman striding behind him. Tall, platinum hair, and with an air of confidence that Rey could only hope to fake. She cleared her throat, focusing on the customer in front of her, who thankfully didn’t notice her distracted state.

From the corner of her eye, Rey watched as Ben and Phasma chatted quietly while a ginger-haired man joined them. Something was said and Ben nodded his agreement, to what she didn’t know. She wished she could hear what they were talking about. There were three customers away from her and they were polite enough to keep their voices down.

And then she saw him, the creep, lining up behind the trio - the trio that looked like they were Greek Gods, gracing mere mortals with their presence. It took all of her to keep the smile on her face. To her left, Kaydel noted the man’s arrival and was ready to take over the register, but she shook her head a little to indicate that she was fine. She wasn’t going to allow one creep scare her away from doing her job. Not today—not ever. She got through the line quickly and when she came face to face with Ben, she beamed up at him. He looked surprised, as always, that anyone would spare that kind of attention on him.

“Large black coffee?” She asked before he blurted his order awkwardly as he always did.

He nodded, looking taken aback she remembered it—as if it was rocket science that she remembered his way too basic coffee order. “And one large macchiato caramel and a cinnamon latte too.” 

_Oh._

She was curious now. She knew that Ben was the ‘large black coffee’ guy but she _had_ to wonder which of his two companions was the one with the sweet tooth. Too bad it wasn’t something she could simply ask. She punched in his order and told him his total without needing to ask his name for the receipt and, as always, he paid without much fanfare. She watched as he motioned for his companions to join him at the end of the counter to retrieve their order.

Then, _he_ came into view. Her face hurt from the smile she forced onto her face, and Kaydel was once again quick to stick nearby, letting Jessika deal with Ben’s order.

“Hi. Welcome to Maz’s Coffee. How can I help you today?”

The leering look made her want to vomit, though somehow she managed to keep a pleasant tone and a smile on her face.

“Oh, I don’t know—” Even though Rey consistently pretended she didn’t remember him and really did try to forget his name, preferring instead to just think of him as ‘the creep’, he spoke, as always, with that sickly sweet tone of overfamiliarity. “—how _can_ you help me?”

“Your order, Sir?” Rey asked, remaining as civil as she could. She didn’t have to glance to her left to know that Kaydel looked like she was ready to throttle him.

“I’m hurt, I thought you’d remember mine since I’m a _regular_ here.” The mock hurt in the creep’s voice made Rey’s skin crawl. “You remembered _his_ ,” he added, nodding to Ben, who must have realised he was being spoken about because he stopped talking to his friends to carefully watch what was happening.

“Sir, if you don’t wish to place an order, please step out of the line,” Kaydel’s impatient voice cut through the nonsense. “As you can see we have quite a busy morning.”

The creep looked affronted. “Is this how you treat a customer?”

“Yes, Sir,” Kaydel sounded bored. “If they’re holding up the line.”

Rey didn’t miss how a few of the people behind the creep snickered, or how impressed Ben and his friends looked at Kaydel’s graceful handling of this obviously difficult customer. Honestly, she wondered herself why she’d ever doubted the woman’s ability to put people in their places.

“As I was saying,” the creep smiled broadly. “I’m hurt that Miss Johnson doesn’t remember my order despite the fact that I’ve been coming here for months. I thought we had an understanding.”

“How do you know my staff member’s name?” Kay sounded alarmed, and with good reason. When she’d first been inducted, Maz had told her she didn’t hold with making her staff wear name badges, that their identities were theirs to do with as they pleased, and Rey had been too busy trying to remember everything else she’d been told that she’d never thought to question it. Besides, she liked the fact no one knew her name, save for a few coursemates who came in every now and then. “We don’t publicise the names of our staff, much less their last names.”

The man’s smile grew bigger. “Oh, Rey and I go way back.”

“No, we don’t,” Rey choked quickly. “How do you know my name?”

Alarm bells were going off in her head; panic dawned on her as she wondered what else the creep knew about her. She could protect herself, but learning that someone had figured out her name without her ever mentioning it was terrifying. If he could find out her name, what else could he find? The thought of the creep finding her place was at the forefront of her mind. She’d never dreamed that she might have inadvertently put her friends in danger.

“You told me,” the creep claimed. “Remember?”

“No, I didn’t!” Rey shook her head earnestly, moving away from the register. Kaydel was quick to stand in front of her. Within seconds, Ben and his friends were back at the counter as well.

“I’m sorry,” the ginger man spoke easily. “How do you know the lady’s name?”

“Like I said,she told me,” the creep sounded impatient this time.

“That’s a lie,” Ben interjected calmly. 

“How do you know?” challenged the creep.

“He might not,” the ginger cocked his head to Ben. “But I know the owner of this place and I _know_ why the staff here never wear name tags.”

“Bullshit.”

“I think you’re the one bullshitting here,” Ben said, still very calm—like the calm before a perfect storm. “She clearly doesn’t know you, aside from the fact that you’re a customer, and even then she’s under no obligation to remember you.”

“What are you?” the creep spat. “A mind reader?”

“Hardly,” Ben chuckled darkly. Rey was fixated on how he somehow looked bigger and more menacing as he spoke. It was almost as if he was a completely different person. 

“How do you know I’m not telling the truth?” the creep asked, chin up, still stupidly trying to prove he was right. “I’ve been coming here for months. For all you know, we could be an item.”

“No, we are not!” Rey half-yelled. Kaydel’s calm hands were on her shoulder at once. “I’ve never given you any indication I’m interested and I’ve never responded to your advances.” She looked at Ben, almost panicked that he would believe the creep over her. It wasn’t as if he had any grounds to take her side—they didn’t know each other. It made sense that Kaydel would fight for her, but Ben? 

She almost deflated when Ben sighed and crossed his arms over his chest before she realised he was still facing the creep, not her. He looked at the man with a long stare rivaling Phasma’s—Rey could see how the two would be a powerful couple. They looked like they could take over the world. She wanted to cry, but she steeled herself. She _could_ fight her own battles.

“I don’t,” Ben spoke at last. “But I can easily call a cop in here to verify your claims and you do not want me to call the cops if you’re bullshitting me.”

“Call them.” The creep was still not willing to back down.

Rey wanted to scream.

“Are you sure?” Ben asked, he was smiling now, while his friends looked completely relaxed, almost like they were bored with the whole exchange. It left Rey confused and she wondered why the creep was so confident he could take on a man of Ben’s size, let alone one who wasn’t alone. “I’m not someone you want as an enemy.”

_Is he with the mob?_ A panicked thought crossed Rey’s mind.

The creep took a step towards Ben and Phasma was quick to move in front of him.

“You’re going to let a girl fight for you?” 

Phasma chuckled, baffling Rey further. “Trust me, I’m doing _you_ a favour.”

“Maybe—” Again, Ben sounded oddly calm. “—you don’t respect the sanctity of marriage—” _Shit._ Rey’s eyes widened as it finally dawned on her why he hadn’t responded to her obvious invitations to talk. And Rose, bloody Rose, was right. Fuck her life. _“—_ but I do. You might want to listen to my friend.”

“I should be afraid because some guy in a suit threatened me?”

“You should be afraid ‘cause the woman standing in front of you can snap you in half,” the ginger spoke, sounding positively bored. “This is taking too long; I’m going to call the Police Commissioner.”

“Hux,” Ben warned, and there was an edge to his voice.

“What?” The ginger—Hux—rolled his eyes. “I have a deposition to get to and I still haven’t had my coffee.”

_Lawyers._ Rey decided. She was well aware of what that word meant from the many, many police procedural dramas Rose had made her watch, although she still wasn’t sure how they would know the Police Commissioner.

She watched as Ben tapped Phasma lightly on her shoulder and the platinum blonde moved without a word. It was a silent exchange between people who knew each other well. Rey was a little envious.

“Leave,” Ben spoke with such command that Rey could almost feel the heaviness of the word in the air. “Or I’ll make you leave.”

“Fine,” the creep chuckled. “I’ll leave for now.”

Ben shook his head. “No, you’ll leave and never come back. Find a different coffee shop.”

“You can’t tell me what to do!”

“Are we going to do this all over again?” Hux said in a huff. “Mate, let me spell it out for you: she doesn’t fancy you.”

Rey had never seen so much as a smile on Ben’s face, so the sound of his laughter took her by surprise. She blinked as she watched him laugh and found herself swayed to the melody of it.

“What?” Hux sounded indignant. “I’m only stating the facts here.”

“I hate to repeat myself.” Ben’s voice was deep when he spoke again, addressing the creep directly. “So don’t make me do that.”

The creep looked red, his gaze flickering from Ben to Phasma, Phasma to Hux, and then Rey. The rage behind his eyes should have scared her, but she refused to back down. This was the man who’d harassed her repeatedly for almost a year. She steeled her gaze instead of using words; she didn’t want to waste any on him.

“This is not over,” the creeper screamed as he stalked away.

If it was a movie, the other patrons would have clapped and cheered, but it wasn’t a movie and the silence which ensued, as the man marched angrily away, was tense. Eventually, a sigh of relief washed over Rey, and the few people watching from around the store went back to their drinks or their conversations, sensing that the altercation was over.

“Can I _please_ get my coffee now?” Hux asked, eliciting a few chuckles as people started to form a proper queue again.

Kaydel gently nudged Rey aside to take over the register and she went without protest as she tried to catch her breath again. The thought of the creeper finding a way to get to her was unnerving. She wasn’t ignorant on how easily she could become a victim. 

Her mind was still reeling when she found Ben standing right in front of her.

“You might want to call your husband and have him accompany you to lodge a report at the police station as a precaution.”

Rey blinked. Ben was speaking to her. More than that, Ben was speaking more words to her than he ever had before. She wasn’t sure if she was awake or dreaming. Somehow, her mind decided that digging her nails into her palm to make sure was a great idea.

“Ow,” she yelped.

“Are you okay?” he asked, sounding concerned.

“I’m not married,” she blurted without thinking. 

He was staring at her blankly, like a deer caught in the glare of a headlight. “Excuse me?” His voice sounded strangled and she noticed how his eyes traveled to her hand for a brief moment before he fixed his gaze on her face.

“I started to wear the ring so he’d get the hint that I’m not interested,” Rey explained quickly. “I mean, I have men hitting on me daily and I just needed a break from it.”

“Oh, I—” Ben was rubbing the back of his neck. He looked a mixture of confused and… hopeful? “That—I’m sure it’s just a matter of time before your boyfriend—”

“For fuck’s sake!” Hux said exasperatedly. “Must I keep pointing out the obvious?”

Both Ben and Rey turned to him. 

Phasma was chuckling, retrieving the coffees Jessika had made them in the middle of the chaos. “Here, Hugsy,” she cooed, handing one of the cups to him. “You’re cranky when you don’t have your sweet monstrosity.”

If looks could kill, Phasma would’ve died on the spot. Hux grabbed the drink from her and returned his attention back to the two of them. “Seriously, Solo, just get her number so _we_ can get out of here.”

“I—” Ben hesitated.

“Fine, I’ll spell it out for you,” Hux groaned. “The girl you fancy just told you she’s actually single. She _didn’t_ have to tell you. She could have just kept up the farce if she didn't fancy you back.” Rey felt her face burn at Hux’s tirade, but there was no stopping the man. He just turned to face Ben, punctuating each word with a jab of his finger. “Ask her out, Solo.”

Two thoughts crossed Rey’s mind. One, Ben was single. Two, the entire coffee shop had just heard that she liked him. She didn’t know whether that was more mortifying than the fact that it had been so obvious to his friend, who she’d only met _once_. She wished that the ground would open up and swallow her whole. However, there was an afterthought that crept in as she tried to wade through her muddled thoughts: Hux had definitely suggested that her interest was not one-sided! It struck her dumb.

No one moved for a moment. Apparently Hux thought that was a moment too long because he sighed and immediately manhandled Ben’s phone out of his pocket. He unlocked it before handing it to Rey, who still looked shocked - even more so as she caught sight of Ben’s very, very red face. She could tell it was embarrassment and not anger since she felt it too.

“Your number,” Hux prompted, nodding at the phone. “I’ll make sure this idiot calls you.”

Jessika, who had remained quiet during the entire ordeal, swooped in when Rey remained rooted, still processing. She didn’t give anyone time to protest, just calmly took out her phone, found Rey’s number and typed it into Ben’s before handing it back to Hux.

“She’s off tomorrow,” she said to Ben, before adding, in Hux’s direction, “Someone had to help them along, huh, Red?”

Hux was grinning. “You can say that again.” He slipped back the phone into Ben’s blazer pocket without any issue; Ben still looked like he wasn’t sure what was going on and his brain was playing catch up. “Come now,” he began dragging Ben away by the arm before adding, “now say ‘Bye, Rey’, Ben, like a good functional human being.”

Like he was under a spell, Ben obliged. “Bye, Rey.” 

Chuckling, Phasma retrieved the last of their orders and moved to follow Hux and the trailing Ben.

They were almost at the door when Ben broke from his trance and turned a little before Hux could stop him. His eyes met Rey’s across the shop and, when he spoke, he spoke just for her. “I’ll call you later.”

A smile broke on Rey’s face as she nodded and a joyful laugh bubbled in her throat at the sight of Ben being shoved a little roughly out the door by an impatient Hux, while Phasma smirked at their antics. She couldn't have guessed, when she'd looked up earlier and seen the creep sliding into line behind the three of them, that she was going to end up with a date out of the situation, let alone a date with Ben, but if she could live the scene again, she knew she wouldn't have it turn out any other way.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you've enjoyed this :) And if you want to say hi, you can find me on twitter @ [IdrisWrites](https://twitter.com/IdrisWrites). Fair warning, I ramble, a lot.


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